Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

There are two different mechanisms by which most heart attacks happen. Both are related to insufficient blood flow to an area of the heart, most often secondary to fatty plaque buildup in coronary arteries. Chest pain remains the most common heart attack symptom, but others are often subtle, and the underlying process causing the heart attack can differ. It’s important for people to recognize the different signs of heart attacks, so they know when to seek immediate medical care.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening can help identify early prostate cancer, but it also can lead men to have biopsies and invasive treatments they may not need. This complexity has caused the medical community to re-evaluate how best to use PSA testing. More doctors are using PSA screening in ways that minimize the use of biopsies, such as by following a worrisome test result with MRI of the prostate. If a man does have a biopsy and a cancer is found, PSA testing can help the man follow active surveillance.

Paddleboarding is a popular water sport in which people stand or kneel on a “surfboard” and use a long paddle. It’s a great stress buster, and it can help improve balance and strengthen key muscles, like those in the core, back, arms, and shoulders.

Older adults need to safely be able to sit and rise from the ground whether kneeling in the garden, looking for something under the bed, or playing on the floor with the grandkids. This movement is also helpful when getting up after a fall. Three exercises that can help older adults with daily up-and-down mobility are kneel-to-stand, crawling, and sit-to-stand.

A 2023 study suggests regular physical activity, including walking, climbing stairs, gardening, and cleaning, may help prevent or delay the onset of Parkinson’s disease in women.

A 2023 study suggests that eating more magnesium-rich foods contribute to better brain health—especially in women—as people get older. This may lower the risk of dementia.

A 2023 study suggests that people with diabetes have higher risks of developing cardiovascular disease or dying earlier if they regularly drink sugary beverages.

People who lose their sense of smell due to a virus or another cause are advised to begin smell retraining therapy as soon as possible. The therapy involves sniffing a wide variety of odor-generating elements, such as lemons or oranges, flowery perfumes, peanut butter, eucalyptus, rosemary, cinnamon, pine, peppermint, or cloves. Each material should be sniffed once or twice a day, for 30 seconds to two minutes. While sniffing, it helps to think about the scent and recall moments of smelling it in the past. This process helps trigger odor particle recognition, which is deeply seated in the brain and must be stimulated to re-establish function.

Pickleball elbow is a type of tendinitis called lateral epicondylitis. The injury can result from gripping a pickleball paddle tightly for long periods or repeatedly twisting and turning the wrist while preparing to hit the ball. To avoid pickleball elbow, doctors recommend that players improve their muscle strength, use a paddle with the right grip size, build time on the court gradually, warm up their muscles before playing, stretch muscles afterward, ice their elbows after playing, and get guidance to hone their pickleball technique.

Fatigue affects up to three-quarters of older adults with chronic conditions. Some causes are obvious, while others are less well recognized. They include sleep disorders, anemia, poor diet, thyroid problems, mood disorders, and medication use. People with prolonged, unexplained fatigue should see a doctor, who will perform a physical exam, ask about medical history, and in some cases perform blood or other tests. People can boost energy levels by exercising more, optimizing diet, using caffeine strategically, and limiting alcohol consumption.